Home >
Literacy and Mentoring Non-Profit, Read to a Child®, Adds Karen Jones to its Greater Los Angeles Board of Advisors
For Immediate Release
Former EVP of Communications for HBO & HBO Max and Los Angeles Unified School District graduate brings Passion for literacy and storytelling to the Board
Los Angeles, CA, April 28, 2023 – National literacy and mentoring non-profit, Read to a Child®, announced today that Karen Jones, former EVP of Communications for HBO & HBO Max, has joined its Board of Advisors in Greater Los Angeles. A graduate of the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), Karen is a strategic communications leader with 20+ years’ expertise in maximizing consumer and media awareness, navigating dynamic challenges, and driving transformation.
“I am excited to join Read to a Child’s efforts to spread the power of literacy through mentoring,” said Karen Jones. “As a second-generation Los Angeles native and a product of LA’s public education system, I am forever indebted to the educators who inspired my lifelong love of reading and storytelling.” Continued Karen, “as an advisory board member, I look forward to digging in and bringing whatever resources I can to this essential work.”
“I am thrilled that Karen Jones is joining the Los Angeles board, where her passion for literacy and equitable educational access, coupled with her experience in both LA public schools and in the corporate world, will be invaluable to Read to a Child,” said Paul Lamoureux, CEO of Read to a Child. “I look forward to collaborating with Karen to raise our visibility, attract more support and ultimately serve more children from under-resourced communities in the Read Aloud Mentoring Program.
About Karen Jones
Karen is the former Executive Vice President and Head of Communications for HBO and HBO Max. Working directly with the Chairman & CEO and leadership team, she was responsible for external communications including media relations, crisis and reputational management, and spearheading all publicity efforts for the award-winning original content slate at HBO and HBO Max.
Prior to her senior leadership role, Karen was a program publicist responsible for crafting and executing more than 40 campaigns including acclaimed HBO titles, Westworld, Chernobyl, Silicon Valley, Lovecraft Country, and The Pacific.
Karen currently serves as an Executive Committee member for the Television Academy Public Relations Peer Group. She has been a guest lecturer on entertainment publicity at USC’s Annenberg School, University of Texas at Austin, and Cal State Northridge. She is an alumna of The WICT Network’s Betsy Magness Leadership Institute, a leadership development program for women in media, technology, and entertainment, and has served as a mentor for the organization’s Southern California chapter. She is also a mentor for the Hollywood Radio & TV Society (HRTS), and is a former board member for Stand Tall International, which provides medical support for children in East Africa.
Karen graduated magna cum laude from Amherst College, where she received a B.A. in French. After a year of teaching, she continued her education with graduate studies at New York University before returning to her native Los Angeles to embark on a career in entertainment. Karen was born in South Los Angeles and currently resides in Mid-City.
About the Read Aloud Mentoring Program (RAMP)
Read to a Child recruits, vets, trains and manages thousands of corporate and community volunteers who participate in the Read Aloud Mentoring Program (RAMP). In RAMP, an adult is partnered one-on-one with a student who referred into the program by their elementary school teacher, for a rewarding, weekly read aloud experience. The relationship lasts for the entire school year and often extends for multiple years through the end of fourth grade. The simple act of reading aloud to a child once a week, over time, ignites a love of reading, improves literacy and socio-emotional skills and can have a profound impact on the child’s future. The Read Aloud Mentoring Program also offers adults with a convenient, joyful, and meaningful way to give back. The program, which is available at no-cost to Title I schools, is managed on-site at each partner school by a Read to a Child program coordinator and requires limited resources from each school.
About Read to a Child
Read to a Child (readtoachild.org) is a national literacy and mentoring non-profit that fosters a love of reading, improves literacy skills and supports socio-emotional well-being in students from under-resourced communities. Read to a Child collaborates with thousands of community and corporate volunteer mentors from more than 125 local businesses and organizations who read one-on-one to elementary students at 34 Title I schools in the greater metropolitan areas of Boston, Detroit, Hartford, Los Angeles and Miami. Join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
# # # #
Contact: Gloria Jolley
Greater Los Angeles Executive Director
Read to a Child
(310) 208-5300